Back in the days, India, specifically the region of Rajasthan, was
filled with multiple tribes who were known by the work they did. One of those
groups were the block printers. They used to create the printed clothing
for the various tribes in the region. Each design, with various motifs,
specified your job or the tribe you belonged to. You could tell whether a
person was a farmer or Metal smith by the printed shirt or turban worn.

The strict separation of the tribes has slowly dissipated but what
remains are a few stories by the elder generation still keeping alive the
secrets of the motif and the craft of block printing.

To the artisans we work with, the Art of Block Printing is their
tradition and their way of life, for the past four generations. It continues
now to the latest generation that strives to keep the family craft alive by
finding new markets and ways to keep up with fashion. The only thing that
remains true is the beat of the wooden block on the table, the 20 year old and
10 ft deep indigo dye vat, and the passion to continue.

HAVE
YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT HAND BLOCK PRINTING REALLY IS?

Hand Block
Printing with natural or vegetable dyes is an ancient print technique. This art form has been around for years in
India, and saw its most glorious years around the 12th Century.
Today, it is competing against the fast world, but surviving due to the people
who still value them. “BLOCK” means a wooden square piece with an engraved
pattern on it. This block is used to
print on fabric – and this art is called block printing. The fabric is then
commonly called block print fabric. There are few different types of block printing. I have listed the process of "Dabu" printing below. Dabu is an ancient mud resist hand block printing technique.

CARVING

Master block
carvers, who have been doing this for many years, carve these blocks. These
blocks are carved by a chisel and wooden hammer to form a design pattern.

PRINTING

There are a
couple of block printing techniques but the one that we work with is called
Dabu. Dabu is a mud resist made by
mixing together fuller’s earth, gum and few other natural ingredients. It is mixed into a paste not by hand nor by
machine, but by foot, just like grapes were crushed to make wine in the
yesteryears!

Once this paste
is ready, the fabric is printed with a block using that resist. The areas that are stamped resist any dye that
the fabric is dipped in.

DRYING

Sun is crucial to
this process. At every step the fabrics
have to dry in the open fields under the sun.

Did you know, that most of this work comes to almost a stand still in the Monsoon seasons of July and August?!

DYEING

After the fabric
has been printed, it gets dyed. We work
with dyes that are made with natural materials found in our surroundings, such as
flowers, leaves, spices and various other natural metals! Below is an indigo vat that has been going on
for several years!

WASHING & DRYING

After dyeing, the
fabrics get washed by hand.

More so than not, block printing is a multiple step
process where the fabric gets re-printed, re-dyed to bring out the designs we
want.

And that sums up the process of block printing! Of course we stumble upon lot of problems as the color didn't come up right, or the print got messed up while printing or dyeing - but that's life - and we take it as it comes!

This year's Block Printing was very special! Special because a lot happened! To our surprise, when we met the block printers, we were welcomed with not 1, not 2, but many flower garlands! We couldn't stop laughing as they kept putting garlands on us and feeding us sweets! Here are some pictures of our printing adventures:Boiling fabric [...]

Each time is filled with a lot of color and prints. Here are a few images of what went on behind the scenes from blocks, printing, dyeing, and finally the party! After our meeting with the artisans, we cooked and ate into the night.

We are always looking for ways to encourage the dying craft of block printing and the artisans that are working so hard to keep it going. Along with that we would like to bring forward the artist behind the artisan that works so diligently with us to bring our patterns to life. During our last [...]

Sharing our Journey from the past ...The Block Print JourneyWe've come a long way from day 1 of learning to carve the block, the tree as the muse, to the transformation of the tree to a garden. That sound like gibberish I know, but I just wanted to share the journey of our wooden [...]

One month ago Nepal was hit by a powerful 7.8 Richter scale earthquake leaving many without food and shelter. As our friends attempt to rebuild their homes and their lives, aftershocks continue shaking the country.We recognize the communities in Nepal will continue to need our support as it rebuilds. This includes many that played host to [...]

24 April is forever marked for the tragedy in Bangladesh when over a thousand garment workers lost their lives and another 2,500 were injured when the factory at Rana Plaza buckled around them. You may recognize the retailers for whom the garment workers were making clothes. As I write this, I find myself dressed in [...]

Cappadoccia,
pronounced kapadokya, was an interesting wonderland for me. Everywhere you
looked, there were these natural formations that looked like upside down ice
cream cones or as they called some of them that had black tops - the fairy
chimneys. Even more exotic were the caves inside these formations - said
to have been carved and then lived in [...]

We're at it again for like the 5th year in a row.Prepping for the trip to India is always nerve wracking. Getting all our printouts ready of the new designs, any color swatches we might need for color matching, and buying all the gifts for the artisans! We never have enough space in our luggage [...]

We are thankful to be doing what we love and loving what we do. Thank you all of you who have supported us through this journey to realize our dream :) Thank you sale:COUPON CODES (use at checkout): THANKYOU10OFF | THANKYOU15OFF | THANKYOU20OFF** And [...]